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Friday, May 27, 2016

Louis Van Gaal to Jose Mourinho : Does Manchester United really know what they are doing ?

By Pete Jaison

The rare consistency of persisting
with a manager amid disappointing performances, that Manchester United were boasting so far, has ended with the sacking of Louis Van Gaal. This move
by the managerial board, following their first FA cup triumph since 2004, is seen as a welcome decision by most supporters. Van Gaal, who has often been
criticised for slow sideways-football by many former players like Paul Scholes,
Roy Keane and Rio Ferdinand, admitted only days ago that he is adamant to see
off his contract which runs till 2017. What is even more interesting is the
fact that Jose Mourinho is taking over the reins at Old Trafford. Shown the
door just 7 months after leading Chelsea to the Premier League title, Mourinho
is back in English football with a bang.
That too, with arch nemesis, Pep Guardiola at the helm of cross-town rivals-
Manchester City- makes the prospect of having the world’s two best coaches in
the league even more mouth-watering. But first let us figure out why and how
Mr. Louis Van Gaal’s tenure has been disappointing.

The arrival of the Dutch coach two
years ago lifted the expectations of the Old Trafford faithful especially after
a forgettable campaign under David Moyes. The first season didn’t turn out to
be depressing as Manchester United qualified for Champions League football
after finishing 7th in the previous season. Initially the
football wasn’t all that drab but it was never close to the vintage United
sides fans have witnessed over the past decade. However, his critics point to
the fact that even after spending an enormous amount of money (250+ million
pounds), Van Gaal’s team still played with a makeshift centre-back, a
centre-forward turned winger and a hoard of other misfits. This along with the
monotonous dull football which lulled spectators to sleep is being touted as
one of the main reasons for his ouster. However, he did manage to continue his
run of winning a trophy in every country he has managed with a 2-1 win over Crystal
Palace in their FA cup final courtesy of a Jese Lingaard screamer.

Now a closer look at the team which
he has left behind for the next manager will highlight the legacy he has built
at Old Trafford. The emergence of 18 year old Marcus Rashford and the signing
of unknown French prodigy, Anthony Martial will remain one of his biggest
contributions to the Red Devils. Louis Van Gaal also gave first team
opportunities to many academy players like Timothy Fosu Mensah, Cameron Borthwick
Jackson, Guillermo Varela etc. Developing other young stars in the making like
Memphis Depay and Luke Shaw further add to the purposefulness with which Van
Gaal went about his job at Old Trafford. On a lighter note, there are a number
of LVG moments one can recollect with fondness. Who can forget that comic
‘fall’ against Arsenal to the press conference statement that the players have
to be more ‘horny’? Clearly, LVG has left behind many unforgettable memories
for the fans but with a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth. But enough said about
LVG, what would be in stake for manager-to-be, Jose Mourinho?

Regarded as a spoilt champion in
almost every continent he has managed, Jose Mourinho is a winner in all
aspects. You can love him, or you can hate him but you definitely can’t ignore
him. It is jokingly rumoured that Mourinho has been diagnosed with a certain
disease called the ‘third-year syndrome’. He has the uncanny gift of arriving
at a new club with a big bang, winning and making a name for himself and then
falling out of favor with his players and staff which eventually disrupts the
entire team harmony. Although there are instances where he hasn’t fallen out
and left like the champion he is, during his stint at Inter Milan for instance.

Roping in Mourinho is obviously a
huge gamble as far as the club’s long term interests are concerned. But with
the arrival of this personality, whose arrogance and ego matches up to his
determination and commitment, success is considered inevitable. Many
United legends and pundits are concerned that the arrival of the Special One
will greatly reduce the hopes of many academy graduates making the first team.
Mou is not reputed with an image of someone who brings up players from the
grass-root level and turns them into stars, instead he will pounce on already
established stars and tune them to be an integral part of his team. Mourinho’s
genius can be truly appreciated by taking an example of his arrival to Chelsea
in his second stint. In the very first season, he rightfully stated that his
team would not win the title or for that matter even mount a serious challenge.
In the following summer transfer window, Mou plugged the holes in the team by
signing Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid and Cesc Fabregas from FC Barcelona.
Chelsea turned into a formidable force in England and walloped to another
English Premier League title under the Portuguese. When all was looking bright
for the Blues, Mou and his team flattered to deceive in the following season
and was only a point above the relegation zone. That was when the after effects
of Mou-fever hit the team – the club doctor was fired after a disgracing
confrontation with the man himself, the usual blame-game started and after a
string of uninspiring performances, Mou declared that his own players were cheating
him. How a team which won the EPL with a handful of games remaining turned into
a pathetic, dispirited unit is unknown but the champion manager had to take the
blame. If winning the title was a result of his genius tactics, then the woeful
title defence was his own faults being exposed.

All said and done, it is really quite
unpredictable as to how a team run by Mou will perform. They can be a ruthless
compact unit or a lumbering aimless collection of legs. The biggest dilemma
faced by the United board will be the decision over the club’s most decorated
player, Ryan Giggs. Giggs, who served as an assistant to Louis Van Gaal in his
cut-short two year tenure has received appreciation for his dedication and hard
work, according to many sources within the club. But overlooking him for
another manager is quite certain to prompt Giggs to ply his trade elsewhere and
leave his cherished boyhood club.

As the Red Devil fans celebrate the
appoinment Jose Mourinho as the manager, the whole world is certain to keep an
eye out for his antics. Manchester United is playing a dangerously close game
of cards but only time will tell whether Mou is the river card they have been
waiting for.